Gov. declares state of emergency, curfew

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Highway patrol captain: "We won't enforce it with trucks, we won't enforce it with tear gas"

Resident of Ferguson is skeptical that the curfew will be effective

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon on Saturday declared a state of emergency and implemented a midnight to 5 a.m. curfew in Ferguson, where the police shooting of an unarmed black teenager sparked a week of protests and sporadic looting.

"I'm committed to making sure the forces of peace and justice prevail," Nixon said at a community meeting. "If we're going to achieve justice, we first must have and maintain peace."

And some residents said law enforcement officers had instigated the violence with their military-like tactics.

State Highway Patrol Capt. Ron Johnson, in charge of security for the town, praised local citizens who tried to stop the looting of several businesses early Saturday. He said law enforcement would not be heavy-handed in enforcing the curfew.

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"We won't enforce it with trucks, we won't enforce it with tear gas," he said.

But at least one resident was skeptical about whether the curfew would work.

"It's an intimidation thing. And you're basically suppressing people who still have questions that need answers," said Carissa McGraw, who has joined protests throughout the week. "You have people who -- at this point -- do not care what authorities say right now."

Michael Brown killed a week ago

Ferguson, a town of about 22,000 people near St. Louis, entered the national consciousness on August 9 when a white police officer, identified as Darren Wilson, shot and killed and Michael Brown, 18, on a city street during the middle of the day.

Accounts of what happened vary widely. Police said Brown struggled with the officer and reached for his weapon. Several witnesses said Brown raised his hands and was not attacking the officer.

Since then, Ferguson has become a tinder box, with regular street protests, an influx of heavily armed law enforcement officers and intense media coverage.

A new development in the investigation popped up Saturday when a Brown family lawyer, Anthony Gray, said that Michael Baden will conduct a second autopsy on the the teenager's body. Baden is a high-profile pathologist who testified in the O.J. Simpson, Phil Spector and Drew Peterson trials.

Early Saturday morning, before sunrise, a fragile peace was shattered when looters again targeted neighborhood businesses while law enforcement in riot gear largely looked on without intervening.

Some protesters tried to stop the looting, at times standing in front of one convenience store and preventing others from doing more damage. Police, criticized days earlier for being too aggressive with protesters, now drew the ire of merchants who told CNN they weren't doing enough.

"You still have a job to do now, and now you're not doing your job," Tanya Littleton said of police after thieves broke into her beauty supply shop in the St. Louis suburb and made off with bags of hair extensions worth hundreds of dollars.

At noon Saturday -- the hour that police say Wilson shot Brown a week earlier -- protesters outside the police station silently raised their arms into the air, mimicking Brown's purported actions right before he died.

Photos:Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson

Photos:Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson

Protesters march in Ferguson, Missouri, on Thursday, August 21 2014. The St. Louis suburb saw turmoil after a white police officer, Darren Wilson, fatally shot an unarmed black teenager, Michael Brown, on August 9, 2014. Some protesters and law enforcement officers clashed in the streets, leading to injuries and arrests.

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A crowd gathers in Ferguson on August 21, 2014. With the situation appearing to calm, Gov. Jay Nixon ordered the Missouri National Guard to begin withdrawing from the city.

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Police escort a Wilson supporter to a police vehicle, away from crowds protesting Brown's death on Wednesday, August 20, 2014. Police have said Brown and Wilson struggled over the officer's gun; some witnesses said Brown had his hands in the air when he was shot.

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Lightning streaks over protesters on August 20, 2014.

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Demonstrators protest on August 20, 2014.

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U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder meets with Capt. Ron Johnson of the Missouri State Highway Patrol at a Ferguson restaurant on August 20, 2014. Holder came to Missouri to talk to community leaders and review the federal civil rights investigation into Brown's shooting.

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Protesters march through the streets of Ferguson on August 20, 2014.

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Police point out a demonstrator who has his arms raised before moving in to arrest him Tuesday, August 19, 2014.

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People watch from inside a restaurant as protesters rally August 19, 2014.

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Police arrest a demonstrator on August 19, 2014.

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Police charge into the media work area with weapons drawn as they try to control demonstrators on August 19, 2014.

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A protester speaks to a police officer on August 19, 2014.

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People on August 19 stand near a memorial where Brown was shot and killed, 2014.

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Protesters march on August 19, 2014.

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Police watch as protesters march August 19, 2014.

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A demonstrator is arrested on August 19, 2014.

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Police try to control protesters on Monday, August 18, 2014.

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Police lead a man away during a protest August 18, 2014.

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A demonstrator shouts during a protest on West Florissant Avenue, one of Ferguson's main streets, on August 18, 2014.

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Capt. Ron Johnson of the Missouri State Highway Patrol pulls his men back from aggressive protesters on August 18, 2014.

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Police arrest a demonstrator August 18, 2014, after peaceful protests gave way to angry confrontations with authorities.

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Law enforcement officers stand guard during a protest on West Florissant Avenue on August 18, 2014.

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A woman helps a man affected by tear gas August 18, 2014. The situation overnight deteriorated after a handful of protesters threw rocks, bottles and Molotov cocktails at police. Officers responded by firing stun grenades and tear gas canisters.

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Officers stand with weapons drawn during a protest on West Florissant Avenue on August 18, 2014.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson shakes hands with a police officer as he visits Ferguson's demonstration area on August 18, 2014.

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A protester picks up a tear gas canister on Sunday, August 17, 2014.

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Police wait to advance after using tear gas to disperse protesters August 17, 2014.

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Water gets poured into a woman's eyes after a tear gas attack by police on August 17, 2014.

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A man runs through clouds of tear gas on August 17, 2014.

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Protesters react as police fire tear gas at them August 17, 2014.

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Police advance through a cloud of tear gas on August 17, 2014. Most of the crowd had dispersed after a curfew went into effect at midnight, St. Louis County authorities said.

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People take cover from tear gas inside a McDonald's on August 17, 2014.

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A large group of police officers advance toward protesters on August 17, 2014.

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A man fights the effects of tear gas in Ferguson on August 17, 2014.

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Michael Brown Sr. and Lesley McSpadden, the parents of Michael Brown, attend a rally at Greater Grace Church in Ferguson on August 17, 2014.

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The Rev. Al Sharpton hugs McSpadden during the rally.

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Capt. Ron Johnson of the Missouri State Highway Patrol speaks at the rally. He had been appointed by the governor to take control of security operations.

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Demonstrators defy a curfew early on August 17, 2014.

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Police fire tear gas at demonstrators after curfew on August 17, 2014.

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A law enforcement officer aims his rifle August 17,, 2014, after tear gas was fired to disperse a crowd.

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Law enforcement officers check a building on August 17, 2014.

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People attend a protest after the midnight curfew on August 17, 2014.

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A law enforcement officer watches as tear gas is fired to disperse a crowd on August 17, 2014.

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Police stand guard before the midnight curfew on Saturday, August 16, 2014.

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People loot the Ferguson Market and Liquor store on August 16, 2014. Several businesses were looted as police held their positions nearby.

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Missouri State Highway Patrol officers listen to taunts from demonstrators during a protest on Friday, August 15, 2014.

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Demonstrators protest with their hands up on August 15, 2014. The "hands up" gesture has become a symbol in protests as Brown, according to eyewitnesses, was trying to surrender when he was shot multiple times.

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Police confront demonstrators on August 15, 2014.

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A demonstrator throws a tear gas canister back at police on August 15, 2014.

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Police confront demonstrators on August 15, 2014.

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ri – Thousands of demonstrators march down a Ferguson street with members of the St. Louis County Police and the Missouri State Highway Patrol on Thursday, August 14, 2014.

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Demonstrators hold signs as traffic moves slowly past them on August 14, 2014.

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People scramble as police fire tear gas on August 17, 2014.

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State Highway Patrol Capt. Ron Johnson smiles at demonstrators on August 14, 2014. Johnson was appointed to lead security as state troopers took over after days of clashes between protesters and local police.

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The Rev. Traci Blackmon uses a megaphone to talk to a large group of demonstrators on August 14, 2014.

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A man picks up a flaming bottle and prepares to throw it as a line of police advance in the distance on Wednesday, August 13, 2014.

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Police stand in clouds of smoke as they clash with protesters on August 13, 2014.

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An Al-Jazeera television crew runs for cover as police fire tear gas at its position on August 13, 2014. Video and images on social media showed police later breaking down the journalists' gear.

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A protester runs from tear gas exploding around him on August 13, 2014.

The looting began at the Ferguson Market and Liquor store, which has become part of the case. Minutes before Brown was shot, police say, a man fitting his description allegedly stole cigars and roughed up a store clerk as surveillance cameras recorded.

Ferguson police released surveillance video of that robbery on Friday, but then emphasized that Wilson stopped Brown not because of the theft, but because Brown and a friend were "walking down the middle of the street blocking traffic."

Release of the video on Friday angered some, who say police were using it to distract from Brown's killing and make him look bad.

As protesters took to the streets early Saturday, more than two dozen people blocked off the convenience store with cars. Police with riot gear, tactical rifles and armored vehicles were nearby, commanding them through loudspeakers to free it up.

Instead, bottles flew, mayhem erupted, and looters ransacked the store, which the owner had boarded up. It was the first of at least three stores raided.